


The X Pt. 1

by koreanboyswriting



Series: The X [1]
Category: Beautiful - Monsta X (Music Video), Dramarama - Monsta X (Music Video), Fighter - Monsta X (Music Video), K-pop, Monsta X (Band), Shine Forever - Monsta X (Music Video), 걸어 | All in - Monsta X (Music Video)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, F/M, Gang Violence, Gang/Mafia AU, Love Triangles, Multi, monsta x fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14058480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koreanboyswriting/pseuds/koreanboyswriting
Summary: You’re a rookie cop who has graduated a police academy a couple years back. Your coworkers are just beginning to trust you when your unit stumbles upon four murder cases that are linked to the most infamous gang in Koreatown, The X. You are then offered a chance to go undercover and investigate who and why these people were killed. You expected the danger, but you didn’t expect to fall in love, with two different men.





	The X Pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine New York's Chinatown, but then switch it to Koreatown, that's my vision.

You stared at the coffee machine as it whirred to life, the old monster chugging like a train to accomplish the only thing it was created to do. The model was ancient though, it had been cleaned meticulously numerous times, but the metal was still stained and lackluster. You hit the side of the machine and it sputtered and coughed out the dark liquid you so desperately needed, into the glass coffee pot. You pushed your reading glasses up on your face, and rubbed your eyes vigorously, trying to force yourself to stay awake. When the coffee machine finally died, you grabbed the pot and brought it over to your desk, filling up your mug and your partners before handing it off to Copper, who filled his mug and his Fielding’s as well. You plopped down into your chair and you realized your partner, Dylan, was physically asleep on his hand not just resting, you got up again and walked around to him, waving your hand in front of his face, Copper and Fielding now watching you with amusement. You kicked his chair and his head fell off his hand and hit the desk, startling him into consciousness, you laughed heartily, Copper and Fielding joining in, clutching onto their chests as Dylan looked at you with malice in his eyes. You moved back and sat down in your chair, taking a large gulp of your coffee as you pulled the files you were examining closer to you.

“Was that really necessary?” Dylan was massaging his chin as he said this, his eyes still burning.

“Hey, were all tired! Copper and Fielding are the only ones bothering to stay up with me, it’d be great if you contributed.”

Dylan rolled his eyes at your retort and grabbed his coffee, blowing on it lightly before taking a sip. You glanced at your watch, the digital numbers searing “3:52” into your dry eyes. You closed the case file you had open and handed it across your desk to Dylan, as you pulled another manila folder from the large pile on your desk.

“Copper, how are you guys doing? Find anymore with a similar pattern?” Copper scratched his beard and tapped the stack of, what looked like four folders on his desk.

“These ones all had similar M.O.’s, throats slit, and tongues cut out. The women bodies showing signs of sexual assault, and the males sodomized.”

You took off your glasses and leaned back in your chair, turning slightly away from your desk towards Copper and Fielding’s facing desks, which mirrored yours and Dylan’s. “These have to be similarly motivated killings to our Jane Doe we found yesterday, she was raped, and her tongue was cut out, except this time she was brutalized more than the other women’s bodies we’ve seen. Someone did not want these people talk. Now the question is why?”

Fielding put down his cup, and turned towards you, “Maybe they saw something they weren’t supposed to see, got involved where they shouldn’t have?”

Dylan jumped up and grabbed the four-tiered stack from Copper’s desk, pulling out the photos of the victims from files and taping them onto the white board along with the crime scene photo of your Jane Doe.

He threw the folders back onto his desk, tapped each photo with his index finger, “Now what do these people all have in common?” Dylan said, excitement edging his tone as he attempted to connect the dots.

“They’re all Asian…?” Fielding stuttered out unsure of himself.

You stood from your seat and walked around to join Dylan, “Not just Asian, they’re Korean!” You rushed back to Dylan’s desk and opened the folders again pulling out the autopsy photos, examining each one.

“Remember the chunk of skin missing on Jane Doe’s right arm, I bet it was a tattoo matching the three other victims here,” You turned and taped the photos of the tattooed arms onto the board below each victim.

Copper perched himself on the edge of his seat before speaking up, “So we’re thinking these are Korean gang killings?”

“Exactly! These tattoos, we’ve seen them before!” You turned and looked back at the tattoo, they were all on the victims’ right forearms; the design was two thick black lines, each one curving at the end slightly, to make the X, and two snakes twined around the letter, with an open eye in the center of the X.

You cleared your throat and spoke again, “The victims must have been trying to leave the gang or said too much, so the gang shut them up.”

“Woah, woah. We’re thinking The X is involved, we’re going to have to slow way down, no way boss is going to let us impede on Bureau’s drug investigation into them.” Copper rang out, his voice stern as he tried to assert his seniority.

“Fuck the Bureau’s investigation, people are dying Copper! We have to do something about this! Narcotics has been investigating them for over five years, and what have they got to show for it?!” You huffed out, Dylan abandoning your side to sit back down at his desk as he knew what was about to come.

“Look, y/n, you’re still pretty new. Not every homicide gets solved. We have a pretty good idea who did it, so we let Narcotics know, and we close the files and hand it over to them.” Copper said, his voice dripping with his so-called knowledge.

“That’s it then?” You rang out in anger, “We just roll over and get no justice for the victims. I thought that’s what we were supposed to do here, get justice for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

“We do, but this is out of our hands. If we go barging into The X’s headquarters and arrest their leader for murder charges Narcotics will kill us. They’ll tack on the murder charges whenever they get enough evidence to bust them for the drugs, but for now it’s not our place.” Copper was standing now, his tall figure towering over yours, in his attempt to intimidate you.

“And how many people will have to die until they get enough evidence? I’m going to make it my place.” You ripped the photos off the board and scooped the folders from Dylan’s desk before you grabbed your coat and gun and stomped out of the office, your body rigid with determination.

You slid into your car, fuming, keying the ignition and blazing out of the police department parking garage. The usually busy New York streets were slightly less crowded letting you get to your apartment in under twenty minutes when it usually took forty. You let yourself into your apartment, throwing your keys onto your entry table and collapsing onto your couch, the folders still clutched to your chest. You looked around your small apartment, taking in its bland furnishings and minimal decorations. You had moved to New York four years ago, but you still hadn’t really moved in, somehow it had all felt temporary to you. You graduated the police academy with high marks and lots of praise and immediately joined one of the most hectic departments based on your instructor’s recommendation. The job quickly became your life and your coworkers started to depend on your detective skills and not just your ability to fetch coffee. Though, there were nights like these when you got too invested in the case and dismissed them, as if it was their fault that the evidence didn’t match up or the line-up went wrong. You always apologized the next day and they forgave you, laughing it off and blaming it on you being the new rookie cop. But you had been there for four years now and each failed case always felt like a personal loss.

You straightened your posture on the edge of the couch and moved the vase of flowers out of the way as you spread the folders open on the coffee table, once again examining the eyewitness statements, the crime scene photos, and the autopsy reports. You examined all of them till the words started blurring on the pages and your eyes started to burn. You rubbed your eyes again and stood from the couch moving down the hallway to your room. You put your gun and badge on the dresser and fell onto your bed, so exhausted that you fell asleep when your head hit the pillow.

When you woke in the morning, you jumped from the bed with energy, your alarm clock already going through your morning pump up jams. You got on the treadmill that sat in the corner of your room, pumping your legs until the stitch in your chest seared in pain. Next, you got in the shower, running your fingers through your hair and resolving your nerve, because you were going to need it today if you were going to face down everyone for the sake of these murders. After you threw on your business casual outfit, you strapped your gun and badge to your hip and left your safe place into the dangerous world outside.

***

You walked into the precinct, your face set with determination, as you clutched the case files to your side. Your ponytail swung side to side in line with your long strides. As soon as you pushed open the door into the main room your captain was yelling your name and ordering you to come into his office. You walked over to your desk and dropped the files onto your desk with a dramatic flourish, placing your hand on the desk and leaning over to look at your colleagues. They all raised their brows and gave you a, “it wasn’t me face.” You rolled your eyes and stood up straight, smoothing down your ponytail and walking towards your boss’s door.

“Close the door.” Your boss said gruffly as soon as you entered the dim room. You turned on your heel and quietly shut the door behind you the blinds already drawn to cover the window in the door. You breathed in deeply before turning to face your captain, keeping your mouth sealed, as another man you hadn’t seen earlier materialized and pushed off the wall with his hands, walking towards the center of the room with his arms now crossed. You looked him up and down, noting his tall and strong physique, that was clothed in all black, his rough face marred with several scars. His very appearance was intimidating, and he hadn’t even opened his mouth yet.

“This is Special Agent Hooper, y/n. He’s here to brief you.” Your captain spoke.

“Brief me?” You choked out, your voice cracking slightly from being unused. You cleared your throat hurriedly, trying to mask the blush from your cheeks as Agent Hooper finally opened his mouth. 

“I hear you have been expressing a special interest in The X. My bureau specializes in gang identification and investigation, and we have been investigating this group for over five years. We have not made much progress as The X is very private and very good at covering their tracks. They deal in everything from drugs, to strip clubs, and weapons dealing. None of my men have successfully infiltrated the gang as we have with previous ones, and you being fairly new to the force provides us with a special opportunity. We believe The X has spies within the justice system and that is how they have evaded our grasp for so long. They know who our agents are, where they are, and what they know at all times, allowing them to escape conviction. And as I said you are a new cop who deals primarily in homicides, The X has no reason to know who you are, and this gives us the opportunity to place you as an undercover agent and attempt to have you infiltrate the gang. I understand this is a high-risk situation for a rookie detective, but we have no better options at this point as we have gained no footing into truly understanding the gang, you are our only hope as of now.”

You blinked your eyes rapidly trying to digest all the information that was just laid on you. “Will I be respectively safe? How do you know his spies don’t know who I am already?”

“As soon as you expressed interest in the case I had your records wiped from the system and converted to paper files, which are now only known to your captain. You are physically no longer a detective, which makes you untraceable to anyone looking for you there.”

Your mind raced as you tried to take in how quickly the word of your interest must have spread for your files to be erased so quickly. You tried to figure how it traveled up to Hooper, but you guessed a man like him had more eyes than The X. “Well it sounds as if I don’t truly have a choice.”

“We can put your files back in the system and return you to your work here, but please take into consideration the opportunity you supply us with. I know you care about the victims, take this as your chance to make it right.”

You looked down at the ground, staring at the smudge of dirt on the tip of your boot, and considered the danger you would be putting yourself into if you accepted. There was no way you would ever be safe again if you went through with this mission. Even if the man or men were caught, the rest of the gang would be on to you before you knew it, demanding your blood. And if you didn’t catch the murderer and were outed, you would be dead in an instant. There was no way out of this where you didn’t lose considerably. What if they figured you out before you even got into the gang? What if they knew who you were before you even stepped foot onto their turf? But then you the images of the mangled bodies flashed into your mind again, their eyes open wide, looking but not seeing, their tongues cut out of their mouths, to send the message to never speak, and their arms mutilated and chunks of skin missing where their tattoo would’ve been. You thought about their families and the aching lost they must’ve felt realizing they would never hear their daughter or son speak again, that they’d never come home all because they got involved in something they shouldn’t have and dared to speak out. You gulped, taking in a deep breath your body and soul knowing the answer before your mind did. Your mouth opened of its volition and spoke into existence that you would take the case, and Agent Hooper looked down at you, his lips stretched into a pleased smile.

“When do I get started?” You set your chin, looking into Hooper’s face with your eyes steeled.

“Eager, I like it. You’ll work with our in-house psychiatrist to develop a profile. This way you’ll have a backstory and a motive behind your interest in The X. Dr. Lee is waiting outside to develop your profile. We’ll need to develop a cover story and a way for you to come into the business, most likely through their strip clubs or drug trade. Next, we’ll need to set you up with a completely new identity, new name, new home, new bank account, new driver’s license, you must be a completely new person, y/full name, will essentially no longer exist. Go home after Dr. Lee’s evaluation and tie up any loose ends. Find someone to take care of your place, pack up some of your necessary belongings, and you will report to a secret meeting place tomorrow to pick up your new house key and identity. Here is a prepaid cell phone this is how we will communicate the destination of tomorrow’s meeting. Do not be nervous or anxious, if you play your cards right and follow the book The X will never know who you truly are and will never see you coming.”

You couldn’t find the words to truly speak, so you just nodded your head curtly, then turned and nodded to your captain, removing your gun and badge from your hip and handing it to him, sweeping out the door, y/n still inside the room with your gun and badge on the table. 

***

You were now Lydia Vo, and you were about to enter the deadliest gang in Koreatown. Your new identity had been a dealer of cocaine for over six years. She was abused by her father, leaving her to have a distrust of men and authority figures, and troubles connecting with other people on a deeper level. This was why she was looking for the protection and familial bonds of a gang. You absorbed Lydia Vo into who you were, trying to imagine her pain as your own, and bring her issues into your being until you didn’t know where you began, and Lydia Vo ended, the very fibers of each of your beings fusing into one, until there was only one. Dr. Lee went on to teach you Korean customs and signs of respect, by the time you left the precinct your mind was exploding with all the information you learned and things you had to memorize. Dr. Lee and Agent Hooper wanted you to be perfect when it came to your identity because if you even stuttered while talking about yourself they would know you were a fake. They reiterated over and over again that the gang rarely accepted outsiders unless it was for trading goods, marriages, and people who worked in their various establishments and made their way up the ranks, so you had to be very careful and treat them with the upmost respect or you were gone.

You drove back to your apartment on autopilot and walked around like a zombie getting your stuff together and packing it into your suitcase. You had everything packed into the bright pink suitcase set that your mom had gotten you for graduation when you remembered that Gyu-Ri wouldn’t have a hot pink suitcase set, she’d have a couple ratty duffle bags, so you dumped all your clothes onto your bed frustrated with yourself for being so stupid. You walked into your closet and began tearing through the bottom corner of your closet where you threw all the things you forgot about until you needed it.

You didn’t know when it started but suddenly you were crying, big heaving sobs, as you at last unearthed two of your old Adidas duffle bags. You fell onto the ground clutching them in your hands as you cried, you didn’t even know why you were crying. You were annoyed and frustrated and anxious and scared and all of it just seemed to have hit a peak. You sat there for a minute trying to slow your breathing, taking shuddering gasps as you stemmed the flow of your tears. After you had calmed down you looked at the duffle bags and pulled yourself up from the ground holding the cheap fabric in your hands. You breathed in deeply and moved over to your bed, picking up the clothes you threw onto the floor and packing them into the bags. You moved to the suitcases next, zipping them up and returning them to the shelf in your closet. You slid down against the wall once you had all your bags packed on your bed and breathed deeply.

This was your chance to prove yourself, to show everyone that you were an actual cop, one that they could rely on to get the job done. This was a job, you needed to remember that, sure it might be dangerous and risky, but that was every day on the job. You could easily be killed doing your rounds tomorrow morning as you could joining an infamous gang, it was all about your perspective, and crying wasn’t helping anyone. You moved around the house packing your frames and art from the wall into boxes, eating and throwing away the food that would go bad and securing precious items. The bureau would be paying your rent while you were undercover, so you wouldn’t have to move out, but with no one here you had to secure everything away. You were really glad you didn’t have anyone or anything depending on you because you couldn’t explain to them where you were going or how long you were going to be gone. You did call your mom though, glossing over the details heavily, telling her you were going to be going to an intensive police boot camp and they didn’t allow outside contact for a while, she was upset, but had long ago resigned herself to the fact that police work was your life.

You walked around your empty apartment, staring at the clean walls, and empty couches, it felt like you were walking around a skeleton, observing the pale white bones. You collapsed on your pillow-less couch and stared at the empty wall across the room memorizing the lines of the walls, the small cracks in the paint, and the dark shadows that highlighted where the old frames used to hang. Before you knew it, you fell asleep the lines blurring into the forms of people reaching for you.

***

Your body shuddered in sleep and suddenly you were awake staring at the living room ceiling fan. The blades twirling around lazily. You blinked a couple times and looked at your watch the face of it turning bright green in the night. It was five forty a.m., and you could not go back to sleep. You tossed and turned on the couch trying to get comfortable again, but nothing was working. You got up from the couch and puttered around your apartment, rearranging things that didn’t need to be moved, and checking and rechecking all the things you packed and before you knew it the sun was beating through the windows, and the disposable phone you had been given yesterday was ringing.

“Lydia Vo?”

“Yes sir.” You quickly responded.

“Meet on the corner of Market St. and 127th at exactly ten p.m. Trash this phone in a city trash can on your way to the meeting. Leave no evidence in your apartment.”

“Yes sir.”

And then the phone call ended. The dial tone ringing in your ear, you closed the flip phone and put it in your pocket. You didn’t know whether you were supposed to stay under the radar all day or if you were allowed to go out. You sat down on the couch again and then decided you needed to get the hell out or you were going to go stir crazy. You changed into your modest clothes, that were slightly more revealing than you usually went for, but Dr. Lee insisted this was what Lydia Vo would wear. So, you fidgeted slightly with the mini skirt and low-cut V-neck and then moved on, tying up your hair in a ponytail and throwing your jean jacket on. 

Once you were out the door you felt so bare, as if everyone knew exactly what you were doing and where you were going. You huddled your jacket closer around you and ducked your head down as the spring wind tore furiously at your hair. You spotted your favorite coffee shop ahead and were about to duck under the awning and enter the warm atmosphere when you remembered that they knew you by name and were likely to shout it out in greeting when you entered, so you sadly turned away your duffle bag swinging on your shoulder and walked a couple blocks towards the nearest Starbucks, pausing to throw the phone in a sidewalk trash can as you entered the bustling coffee shop. The Starbucks was nice but had none of the cozy feel that your normal coffee shop offered, but you decided to stop mourning the things you wanted because you were likely not to have things the way you wanted for a while. You told your order to the harried barista and made sure to tell her your new name as you handed her cash. You found yourself a seat in the darkest corner of the shop and picked up a newspaper on your way, reading it by the dim light. The barista shouted your name and another’s and you went to grab your warm drink when a guy smiled at you and grabbed your drink as he grabbed his.

“Why don’t you enjoy your drink with me?” He asked, smiling through his thick beard.

You slid your cup out of his hand, and grimaced, “No thank you.”

You walked back to your dark corner and shuddered as you sat down, startled at the audacity of the old man. It wasn’t that you were an elitist when it came to your standards or dating, it was just that you found trouble connecting with any guy on any level. Sure, there were guys that you found attractive, but after a couple dates you would always find yourself bored, never interested at peeking below the surface because they had never shown you anything noteworthy. You sipped your smooth drink and flipped through the newspaper, pausing occasionally and intently reading the long stories, soon the combination of the warm chocolatey drink, the dim lighting, and the reading had you drowsing, your head leaning back against the leather chair you were seated in. 

***

“Ma’am? Ma’am?” Someone touched your knee hesitantly and you jerked awake. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you it’s just that you have been asleep in here for hours now and I was worried.” The woman barista who had taken your order earlier was standing over you, her jet-black ponytail falling over her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, this doesn’t happen, I just didn’t get any sleep last night.”

“It’s okay, this is Starbucks anything goes.”

You chuckled, “Would you happen to know the time?”

“Yes, it’s nine fifteen.”

“Holy shit, thank you.” She smiled and walked away back to the counter, as you threw your bag back over your shoulder and ran out of the Starbucks. How had the day passed by so fast? You didn’t even remember the time you left your apartment for the last time, but it was forty-five minutes from when you were supposed to meet on the corner of Market St. and 127th, and you were on the complete other side of town. You rushed towards the subway entrance a couple blocks away and found the one that would take you to Koreatown. Of course, this train had exactly twenty-two stops before yours, including the all the connections you would have to transfer on. You sat on the subway as it jetted off, bouncing your knees in anxiety, if you were late they were likely to pull you out of this case, and you had already committed so much to not see this through. The older woman next to you looked down at your bouncing knees and up to your pale, stress-ridden face and glared at you. You paused and placed your hands on your knees to refrain from bouncing them and she turned away satisfied with herself. Now all your nervous energy was pent up in your body and all you could do now was twiddle your thumbs and sweat. Once you got to the nineteenth stop you couldn’t handle it anymore, so you got off with the rest of the commuters and half-ran to the corner of Market St. and 127th.

The corner of these two streets was five blocks away from the entrance to Koreatown and you could see the great red arch that welcomed you into it from where you were, you bent down and placed your hands on your knees, breathing harshly to assuage the stitch in your chest when a hand grabbed your arm and pulled you into the alley. You broke the contact quickly grabbing the unknown wrist and twisting it backward, when you looked up and saw Agent Hooper looking down at you with a grimace of pain on his face, you gasped and dropped his wrist. He cradled it against his chest for a second massaging out the kink before shaking his hand out and returning them both to his sides.

“It’s ten o-five, you’re late.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Did you trash the phone like I said?”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright you are to enter Koreatown and try to sell this to one of The X’s buyers who will be outside the convenience store in ten minutes. He will be wearing the red vest. Do you remember your story?”

“Yes, I just broke up with my boyfriend who was also a dealer. I’m now homeless and am looking for a place to continue selling.”

“Good. Remember you want him to feel bad for you so use whatever means necessary, you need to find even the smallest in tonight for this entire operation to work.”

“Yes sir.”

“Remember do not ever try to contact me, I will find you if I need you. And one last thing, don’t forget that you are always being watched, you cannot slip up.”

“Yes sir.” You opened your mouth again to ask a question, but Hooper just held a finger up over his mouth and then tapped his ear twice then circled the air around him to signal that the conversation would no longer be private from here on out. And then he just walked away disappearing into the shadows of the alley. You sighed and set your shoulders, pulling your hair out of your ponytail and mussing it up, you then hiked the strap of your bag higher on your shoulder and turned out of the alley and walk towards the red and gold arch that signaled the entrance to Koreatown.

You walked around on the bustling streets for a moment, trying to recall your crash course in Korean that you did with Dr. Lee as you read the neon signs around you. There was so much going on though that it was so hard to think of anything. The stores seem to spill out onto the streets, several people stood behind tables or carts shouting out to people to buy their items in Korean and heavily accented English. Everything was bright too even though the moon hung low in the sky, lanterns traipsed over the street, and neon signs were in such an abundance that the asphalt glowed. Small petty cabs crawled through the street, most of it occupied by pedestrians walking haphazardly, their faces a kaleidoscope of different colors and cultures, even though it was Koreatown, it certainly didn’t limit the clientele.

After five minutes of wandering around the street marveling at the chaotic beauty of it, you recognized the telltale signs of a convenience store. The windows were wide and clear, showcasing the rows of goods inside, beyond the neon sign that flashed what you assumed was “open” in Korean in the window. You walked inside the bell dinging as the door opened, the old man behind the register looked up from his magazine, but then just looked right back down, uninterested in the foreigner inside his store. You walked around the rows for a couple minutes, taking small peeks outside the window.

After the fourth time you saw a man in a puffy red vest leaning against the windows of the store. You calmly grabbed a random Korean candy from the aisle and bought it at the register with your dwindling cash. You shoved it into your bag as you walked outside the door, pretending to look around the street in confusion. You sighed dramatically running your hands through your hair aggressively and looking up at the sky. You made your way back to the front of the store and half-smiled at the man in the red puffy vest before you plopped down onto the dingy bench. You placed your duffle beside you and put your face in your hands, balancing both your elbows on your knees. You could hear the shuffle of feet and when you looked up the man was standing in front of you. His brown hair was parted exposing the right side of his forehead, and he was wearing a white long sleeve under the puffy red vest, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his black jeans.

“Um…” He paused and cleared his throat, “Are you okay?”

“Not really.”

His small eyes crinkled in concern and he sat down next to you on the bench, your duffle bag the only barrier between you two.

“Do you need a pick me up?” The man patted his chest to signal he was carrying something and you smiled sitting up straighter.

“Yes, I do. What do you have?”

“Woah, woah, easy there. Who are you?”

“I’m Lydia,” You said without hesistation.

“Okay Lydia, I’m Jooheon. You look like you have no idea how to get around here, where are you from?”

“Queens.”

“And what are you doing here?”

You let tears well into your eyes, pausing to rub them roughly, letting a few tears spill over and down your face. “I have nowhere else to go.”

“Why?” Jooheon asked you, his eyes never leaving your face, as if he was genuinely concerned about your wellbeing, and his attention made it easier to open up about the life that wasn’t yours.

“My boyfriend dumped me and kicked me out.”

“And how did you get over here?”

“I packed a bag and took a cab as far as I could afford.”

“Have you ever sold before?” Jooheon asked tapping the same spot he signaled earlier when he asked if you needed a pick me up.

“Yes, my boyfriend, sorry, ex-boyfriend was a dealer I used to sell for him.”

“What did you sell?”

“Everything, mostly coke though.”

Jooheon got up and scratched the back of his neck and looked around the street and sighed, “Look I want to help you out I do, but I don’t think I can.”

You let a few more tears fall as you begged, “No seriously please, I’m discreet. I’ll be the best seller you ever had, I haven’t had many jobs. I don’t know what else to do.”

Jooheon scrunched up his face and looked up at the sky, “Ok fine, but you do EVERYTHING I say, got it?” You nodded vigorously. “Come with me, do not, I repeat do not say anything unless I tell you to, got it?” You just nodded again and Jooheon grabbed your wrist and tugged you behind him, making you stumble forward, with barely enough time to grab your duffle before he was carting you off. He wound you through the streets quickly, the neon signs blinding you as he never let your wrist go and dragged you around corners and bends. Just when you thought it would never end he pulled you to the front of what looked like a nightclub. Velvet ropes blocked the entrance and a burly man in a skintight black t-shirt was guarding the door for the line that snaked all the way around the end of the street. The façade was white and highlighted in blue neon, the sign like all the others in Korean with a woman’s form laying on top of the symbols. Jooheon paused, nodded to the bouncer and he lifted the velvet rope allowing you and Jooheon entrance into the door that was propped open. Your eyes bugged out of your head as you took in the huge club, from the outside it seemed impossibly small, but inside the ceilings seemed to continue without end. Directly in front of you stairs dipped down to the dance floor which was lit up from underneath, several stripper poles imbedded into small circular stages, men sat around at dark tables hollering and waving money in the air at the girls who writhed around the metal poles, their outfits so small from up here they didn’t seem to be covering anything. Jooheon guided you to the left towards the bar which seemed impossibly long, the wall behind it shelved various bottles of liquor so high that a rolling ladder was built into the wall, much like you would see in a library.

“Stay here.” Jooheon yelled into your ear over the pounding bass of the music. You stood just far enough away from the bar as Jooheon walked up to a man who was leaning against the edge of the bar talking to the bartender with an empty martini glass in front of him. From where you were standing the man looked impossibly beautiful, he stood almost a head taller than Jooheon and was dressed in all black, his button up fitted to his muscular figure, which was tucked into his slim black dress pants. His black hair was swept back from his chiseled face which looked at Jooheon with anger deep in his eyes, which Jooheon ignored. He was waving around with his hands and talking animatedly as the unknown man repeatedly looked back and forth from my face to Jooheon’s, eventually he sighed in annoyance and waved Jooheon off as a signal to stop talking. I tried to remain as calm as possible as he looked me up and down and then began to walk over with Jooheon. He looked more imposing as he came towards me, his eyes trained on mine. Soon he was standing right in front of me, impossibly close as he looked down on me.

“What’s your name?”

“Lydia.” Your voice cracked as you spoke, and all the blood rushed towards your face. You coughed and cleared your throat, as the man looked down at you with amusement on his face.

“Jooheon, leave us.” Jooheon inclined his head slightly and left you all alone with the dark man.

“Who are you?”

“Lydia.”

“No. That is not what I asked. Who are you?”

You sighed, looking down at your feet and back up into his face, “No one.”

The man smiled as if pleased with my answer, “Good.”

And then he turned his back towards you, “Come with me.” He called out.

You hurried after his fast pace and he walked you over to the bar.

“Wonho!”

“Yeah?”

“Come over here.”

That’s when you noticed the bartender the man had been laughing with earlier. This man was just as beautiful but in a different way. His stature was slightly shorter than the man next to you but he was brawnier, his sleeveless shirt showcasing his rippling muscles as he shook a mixer next to his head. Wonho beckoned with his head to the other bartender next to him who came over and finished making the drink, he proceeded to wipe his hands on a towel and through it over his shoulder as he made his way to the edge of the bar, the blue lights bouncing off his porcelain skin and shining against his black hair which hung over his forehead. He looked you up and down appreciatively, and then looked to the man next to you.

“What’s up?”

“Meet your new waitress.”

“We have waitresses now?” Wonho asked his right eyebrow raised in question.

“Well I’ve been considering it and an opportunity presented itself.” The man then turned on his heel and began to walk away.

“Wait!” You called out and ran after him. “What’s your name?”

“Shownu.”

“Thank you,” You whispered.

“This is your one and only chance. Don’t expect anything and don’t mess it up.”

You nodded and walked back over to the bar. The handsome bartender leaning over the bar top smirking at you as you walked back, making you wonder what the hell you agreed to.


End file.
